Cahills Reading CRUSHED
by THGFAN101
Summary: Amy, Dan, Natalie, Ian, Hamilton, and Jonah were captured by a mysterious Lucian working for Fiske. They're all stuck in a room forced to read the Rapid Fire series in order to bond. Starting with CRUSHED.
1. Part 1

**Cahills Reading Rapid Fire-Crushed**

**A/N I saw so many storied where the Cahills read the 39 Clues books. I noticed that no one did one for the e-books. So, I decided to do one for the Rapid Fire series, starting with my all-time favourite: CRUSHED.**

**Disclaimer:**

**Ian: What am I doing here?**

**Me: The disclaimer, what else? It's not like you're useful.**

**Ian: Excuse me, but I don't want to have my talents wasted on a story written by an American. Especially ****_this_**** story.**

**Me: Do it. Or else Mr. Buttons will suffer.**

**Ian: Fine, fine! Fortunately, THGFAN101 doesn't own the 39 Clues series.**

* * *

Dan Cahill hated being taken away from playing video games.

Just as he was about to beat the last level of Halo 4, Amy unplugged the cord.

"What did you do that for?" he exclaimed.

"You need to do something more productive than playing video games," she answered.

"This _is_ productive! I haven't played video games in a long time. Now that we're done with the Vespers, I need to practice my gaming skills."

"I don't know how video games will help you in life, dweeb," she told him. "Come on; help me make chocolate chip cookies."

He decided to help Amy instead of complaining. After all, he couldn't play on an empty stomach.

As soon as he walked into the kitchen, he found Amy lying on the floor, unconscious.

_What on earth happened?_ He thought.

He looked around preparing to fight when he felt a needle sinking deep into his skin. He felt very nauseous and fatigue. Dan instantly fell on the ground. The last thing he saw as he drifted away was a brunette girl with blue eyes.

* * *

Ian Kabra was getting ready to go to the movies with Natalie.

After saving Natalie and the other hostages from the Vespers, Ian decided that he should spend more time with Natalie. He wanted her to forget the horrors she faced when she was a hostage.

He finished combing his hair and with one last look in the mirror, he went to go check on his sister.

He knocked on the door and yelled, "Natalie, are you done yet?"

"Almost, Ian!" she yelled back. "You can't rush perfection."

After ten more minutes of waiting, Ian was starting to get impatient. Just as he was about to knock on the door a second time, he heard Natalie shriek.

He stormed into the room and found Natalie lying on the floor with a needle on her arm. Standing right next to her unconscious body was girl with long wavy brown hair and blue eyes.

Ian quickly took out his gun and took aim.

"What did you do to her?" he yelled.

The girl replied by taking out a dart gun. Before Ian got the chance to shoot, the girl shot a dart in his arm. His eyes closed and all he could see was darkness.

* * *

Hamilton Holt was teaching his cousin, the famous Jonah Wizard, how to play rugby. So far, Jonah wasn't doing so well.

"You can't throw the ball forward!" he told Jonah for the tenth time.

"Sorry cuz," Jonah said. "I'm not used to these rules yet. Plus we've only been practicing for thirty minutes!"

"Okay, let's take a break," he said. He went to the cooler and offered Jonah some Gatorade. Jonah looked at it strangely.

"Don't tell me you never drank it," he said pleading.

"Of course da wiz drank it," Jonah replied. "I just don't drink it that often. I only drank it once for an advertisement. I prefer pop. You have any?"

He took the Gatorade from him and gave him a Pepsi can.

It was beautiful day in Boston, MA. They we're staying at the Cahill's mansion but decided to hang out in the park. Lucky for them, the park wasn't crowded. Hamilton didn't like it when a bunch of fan girls came out of nowhere when he hanged out with Jonah. He had enough of fan girls to last a life time a year ago, while they were on the mission to save the hostages.

"Let's go back," Jonah suggested. "Dan wanted me to verse him on some video game."

"Alright, let's go," he said packing up.

Once the two Cahills arrived in the mansion, they instantly knew that something was wrong.

"Why is the place so quiet? It's never this quiet," he said.

"You're right cuz," Jonah said agreeing. "Dan's probably trying to prank us."

They walked into the living room and saw the TV cord unplugged.

"Ok," he said. "Dan not playing video games isn't normal."

"Hello boys," an unrecognizable female voice came from behind.

Before he and Jonah could turn around they felt a needle hit their arm.

* * *

Amy woke up feeling horrible.

She was laying on the floor in a room she never seen before. She got up instantly and saw Dan. She also noticed Ian, Natalie, Jonah, and Hamilton on the floor unconscious.

They we're in an average sized windowless room. The walls were painted a bright blue color and the floor was tiled with marble tiles. There are six wooden chairs around a large wooden table in the center of the room. A gigantic chandelier was on the ceiling over the table. A 40" flat screen TV was on the wall.

She got up and started shaking Dan, "Dan, DAN! Wake up!"

"You can't defeat me, I'm the ninja master," Dan mumbled in his sleep.

"DAN!"

"What?" he asked opening his eyes. "What's so important that you have to interrupt my amazing dream?"

"We've been kidnapped dweeb," she replied, "along with Ian, Natalie, Jonah, and Hamilton."

"The Cobras are here!" he said getting up. "Great, now I'm stuck with Princess Cobra and Lover Boy."

"Don't you care that we've been kidnapped?" she said getting annoyed. Leave it to her brother to act this way in this situation.

"Of course, I care," Dan said. "We need to get out of here." He inspected the entire room searching for a way out. Meanwhile, Amy woke up everyone else.

Once everyone woke up, they all sat in the wooden chairs.

"These seats are horrible, and the décor as well!" Natalie shrieked. "This place needs remodeling."

"We're not all sitting here to talk about the room, Nat," Dan said sitting down in the seat next to Amy. "We're here to discuss a plan to get out of here."

"Don't call me Nat, Daniel," Natalie told him. "I can't stand sitting in a room with peasants."

"We're richer than you!" Dan exclaimed. "You're the real peasants!"

"At least, I don't have the mind of a three year old," Natalie said.

"You little-"

"Can you guys please stop arguing for once?" Amy asked interrupting them. The two stopped arguing. "Now let's all tell how we got captured."

Each of the Cahills told their story. All they had in common was a brunette girl with blue eyes.

"One thing we know for sure," Ian said. "She loves using dart guns."

"Reminds me of Nat," Dan mumbled.

"So," Ian continued ignoring Dan's remark. "I think that she's a Lucian."

"No dibs Sherlock," Dan said.

"Dan!" Amy scolded. "Do you mind?"

Dan sent her look that said, _Sorry for interrupting your boyfriend_. Amy simply ignored him.

"As I was saying before I got rudely interrupted by _Daniel_," Ian said. "We need to come up with a strategic plan. It's difficult to outsmart a Lucian."

"Ok," Hamilton said. "So we wait until she walks into the room?"

Suddenly, all four TV screens flickered to life. On screen was the same girl that attacked her.

"Hello Cahills," she said. "Welcome to my humble place. I'm Arianna."

"Nice to meet ya," Jonah said. "Now, can you get us out of here? I have a concert to prepare for."

"I'm sorry, I can't let you out of here. Fiske wanted me to-"

"So Fiske is part of this?" Dan said. "That traitor."

"Dan! I'm pretty sure we're safe is she's working for Fiske," Amy said.

"You're correct Amy," Arianna said. "Fiske wants you to bond."

Everyone groaned. Fiske getting the Cahills to bond was starting to get annoying. Nothing good ever happens when Cahills are at a reunion.

"And this time," Arianna continued, "it'll work. You're all going to be taking turns to read some top-secret information. Amy, can you please go to the closet and take out six Kindles."

Amy did as she was told and handed each person a kindle.

"Now, open it. And click the story titled, Crushed."

Everyone did as they were told.

"Yes! We're reading a story about Ian! You're awesome!" Dan told her.

"Why thank you Dan," she smiled.

"Wait a minute," Ian said. "I refuse to let anyone read something about me. Why don't we read the other stories first?"

"Because," Arianna replied, "Crushed is one of my favourites. And if you refuse, then Mr. Buttons will get it."

"You're bluffing," he said.

Arianna walked away and came back seconds later with Mr. Buttons. "Now do you think I'm bluffing? Also, Alistair's dog, Buffy is staying with me. I'm pretty sure he'd like to play with you."

Amy, Dan, and Natalie started laughing while Hamilton and Jonah looked confused.

"Wait, what's wrong with Alistair's dog?" Hamilton asked.

"It's a long story. It happened while we were in South Korea," Natalie said.

"Okay, we'll read this stupid story," Ian said giving in.

"Good," Arianna said. "Ian I want you to start reading."

Ian turned to page one and started to read.

* * *

**I'll continue later! Please review and/or constructive criticism!**


	2. Part 2

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews! Now, the moment you've all been waiting for…Ian reading the beginning of CRUSHED!**

**Disclaimer-**

**Me: Dan, you know what you have to do.**

**Dan: I know. I can't wait to see the Cobra get humiliated!**

**Okay, THGFAN101 doesn't own the 39 Clues series or the Rapid Fire series. Credit goes to Clifford Riley for writing the book, CRUSHED. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ian never felt more embarrassed in his entire life.

As soon as he went to the first page he instantly felt his face go red.

_How did they get all this rubbish?_ He thought. _How did they know my thoughts? And why, of all things, they chose to write about this moment?_

He couldn't believe it. He had to revisit one of the worst moments in his life. And he had to read it aloud, in front of _everybody_.

He instantly felt twinge guilt when he glanced at Amy. He's not the only one that'll suffer from this story. Amy would have to suffer because of this story.

"Any day now," Dan said annoyed.

_Of course the Cahill boy is eager_, Ian thought. _I hope that the next story will embarrass him._

"Excuse me," he said to the weird Lucian. He couldn't believe he was part of the same branch as this creep.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Are you sure you don't want to start with some other story?"

"Nope, now read," she said. "You won't be getting any food until we finish this entire story."

"Fine," he said, and he began to read aloud.

**_Seven Months after the Clue Hunt_**

**Ian Kabra looked in the mirror, cleared his throat, and bared his soul.**

**"Amy," he began. And paused. "Amy. Amy, I have to — I have to tell you that . . ." He stopped, rubbed his face, and pushed his shoulders back. "Amy Cahill, I find you interesting."**

**No, it wasn't that she was just ****_interesting_****. She was . . . something.**

"Aw! How cute!" Dan said. "Hey Amy, looks like you have a secret admirer!"

Everyone except Amy and Ian laughed. Ian dared to take a quick glance at Amy and saw her looing down, not meeting anyone's eyes. She was blushing furiously.

He looked at the screen and said to Arianna, "How on earth did you come up with this? It's completely inaccurate. I'll sue you and Fiske as well!"

Dan and Natalie looked at Ian and started laughing so hard because they remembered the incident in Korea.

"Wow…Ian," Hamilton said in between laughs. "I…never…knew…you…felt this…way."

"To answer your question Ian," Arianna said wiping the tears out of her eyes from laughing. "The Ekats created some device that could read your thoughts. Isn't technology amazing?"

"No it isn't," he mumbled.

"Now, read," she ordered.

_The only good thing that came out of this is that now Amy will understand how I feel about her,_ Ian thought.

Ian took a deep breath and prepared for the worst that was about to come.

**There were so many things wrong with her — so many things that he shouldn't like about her. She was richer than he was these days, and yet she still acted so poor. And far too many of her clothes were made of cotton, rather than silk.**

"You're really good at making a girl feel special," Dan said sarcastically. Ian simply ignored him.

**But he found that he almost didn't care. He looked back at the mirror. "I know it's completely ridiculous, but I can't keep quiet about it any longer. Your closet looks like it was put together by a blind nun, and your brother acts like a cross between a monkey and a go-kart, and you have the social skills of a rock. But I like you, Amy. Quite — quite a bit." He paused. "So, congratulations."**

"Honestly Ian," Dan said. "Why on earth would my sister be honored to like you? Evenher dorky boyfriend is better than you."

"Dan!" Amy scolded. Everyone looked at her. It was the first time she spoke since Ian starting reading the story.

"Evan helped us a lot during the Vespers problem. Without him, we wouldn't have defeated the Vespers!"

As if that nerd did more work than me, Ian thought to himself. He didn't dare say it out loud. He's already bothered by the fact that Amy knows his deepest and darkest secret.

Ian was confused. He poured his soul out. The least Amy could do is not to mention that _thing_. That annoying American is the major cause of all of his problems.

**His bedroom door swung open, and Natalie stood in the door frame. Ian jumped back from the mirror, but he couldn't meet his sister's eye.**

"Yes! The star has arrived!" Natalie said.

"Really Nat? You're pathetic. No one can beat a Janus, Jonah is the true star. And, of course, me the ninja lord!" Dan said.

"Thanks cuz!" Jonah said giving him a high five.

"And besides," Dan continued, "you'd never be able to be a spy. Because, you're spoiled, rotten, horrible, cruel, terribly_ ugly_-"

"Silence, you peasant," Natalie interrupted. "How many times do I have to tell you? My name is Natalie! Even a Dolt would realize that!"

"Hey!" Hamilton protested.

"Also, Daniel," Natalie continued ignoring Hamilton, "I'm so pretty and amazing! Unlike a certain American I-"

"Guys!" Arianna interrupted. "You're all giving me a headache!"

"Then let us out!" the Cahills yelled in unison.

"Continue with the story," she told Ian.

**"Really?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Really, Ian?"**

**"What?" he asked, lifting his shoulders as if there were nothing in the world strange about giving a speech to one's mirror before traveling internationally to declare one's affection to a former nemesis. He scratched the back of his head. All right, it was strange. And made worse by being caught by his little sister. But he was sixteen years old, and a Kabra — shouldn't he be better at this? Shouldn't he know the exact words to say that would make Amy Cahill realize what he meant? That he liked her, regardless of certain extraneous factors.**

"Oh Amy, Amy," Dan said mimicking Ian's accent. "Wherefore art thou Amy? I long to be with thou. I'm desperate about you. Look, I'm even practicing in front of a mirror for you." Everyone except Amy and Ian roared with laughter.

"Ha, ha," Ian said not amused. "Very funny Daniel."

**"You really think she's going to fall for that?" asked Natalie. "You might as well not ****go."**

**Ian sighed. There was nothing normal about being a Kabra — from the mansion to the private jets to the private dinners with the Queen — but there seemed to be something universal about the way little sisters could be such pests.**

"You're so annoying Ian," Natalie said exasperated. "No need to be mad at me. I was telling you the truth. She wouldn't have felled for that."

**"I'm going, Natalie," said Ian. "We've talked about this before."**

**"Fine. Go and make a fool of yourself," Natalie said, shrugging.**

**"Why don't you go shop for a private island or something?" he snapped.**

**Natalie's eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. "You _know _I can't. Why would you say something so _mean_?" she gasped. She turned and fled down the hall, leaving Ian to look between the hall and the mirror.**

"The Kabra society people," Dan announced, "Kabras are rude to each other by telling them to buy something. You guys have no lives."

"In case you haven't noticed Dan," Natalie said. "That was rude because we didn't have that much money.

**He was going to America. He was going to tell Amy Cahill how he felt. He hadn't before because he thought there was no way those feelings would last. But they had. It was pathetic, he knew that. And it was entirely un-Kabra-like. Natalie's reaction was proof enough of that. Still, there was no point in keeping the news from Amy. She'd be thrilled, and she needed some good news in her life.**

"Alright Ian," Arianna said. "You're done for now."

"Thank goodness," he said relieved to spare himself from anymore embarrassment.

"Up next is…Natalie Kabra."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this! I tired my best to make it interesting and to display the character's emotions, but I had to rush because of school work. **

**Next chapter will be posted soon! And don't forget review and/or constructive criticism!**


	3. Part 3

**A/N Thank you all for the comments/follows/favorites! ****And, 357 reviews for two chapters?! Wow! That's the most I've gotten for two chapters! ****I'm so happy! :D**

**Here's the next chapter and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer-**

**Me: Come on little traitor. You've been taken out of jail to do the disclaimer.**

**Sinead: Don't call me a traitor! I did this to save my brothers!**

**Me: You betrayed your whole family! Couldn't you have found some other way to save your brothers?**

**Sinead: I'm not going to answer that. What's done is done. **

**Me: Alright, don't answer. Now, say the disclaimer!**

**Sinead: Fine. THGFAN101 doesn't own the 39 clues series.**

* * *

Natalie Kabra was really starting to enjoy this place.

Of course she didn't like being surrounded by peasants, especially peasants with a bad taste in clothes. But this was _way_ better than being trapped in a Vesper cell.

She shuddered at the thought of the Vespers. They were cruel people, keeping her locked up with no proper meal and an ugly orange jumpsuit. It was a horrible environment and she was relieved when she got out. She never would take being poor for granted again.

Natalie knew that she shouldn't be glad to see her brother getting embarrassed by another Lucian (who would never be prettier than her). But, this was a once in a life time event. It's not every day a person can witness Ian Kabra blushing madly.

She looked at Ian and saw him with his face in his hands.

_Don't worry dear brother_, she thought. _I promise to make Arianna pay once I get the chance._

She took a deep breath and began to read.

**Ian left his room and wandered down the Kabra mansion's lofty and well-decorated halls. Brilliant chandeliers hung from the ceiling, the light reflecting off of the highly polished wood floors. Masterpieces by famous relatives — Van Gogh, Picasso, Degas, and Rembrandt to name only a few —hung on the walls. Ian and Natalie had practically grown up in a museum, but rather than being intimidated by their home, they reveled in it. There was no tiptoeing around these works of art. They not only owned these things; they deserved them. **

"Spoiled," Dan remarked.

"Just because you have no taste, that doesn't mean we're spoiled. After all, it belonged to us, sophisticated people," she responded.

**Or at least, they had. Ian wasn't so sure how things worked anymore. **

**He found Natalie watching television in the theater. Ian joined her, sinking down into one of the plush velvet chairs. The butler was in his usual tailcoat, making popcorn in the corner.**

**"Bickerduff," said Ian, "we'll be packing later tonight. I'm going to America in a few ****days."**

**"Very good, sir," said Bickerduff, bringing the popcorn to the two Kabras.**

"A butler named Bickerduff?" Dan asked laughing. "What kind of name is that?"

"Even the people who work for me don't have strange names," Jonah added.

"Do you want me to read or not?" she asked them. She was starting to get annoyed of them interrupting her.

**Natalie threw a look at her brother that would have withered a lesser man. "Like I said, you'd better get a better speech, or I wouldn't even bother."**

**Ian ignored her. Just because she had her opinions didn't mean that they were correct.**

"I can't believe you Ian," she told her brother. "My opinions are always correct. If you did go then you would've made a big fool of yourself. You would've ruined your good reputation."

"He didn't even have a good reputation in the first place," Dan said.

"As I read earlier Daniel," Ian replied. "You're just a cross between a monkey and a go kart."

"You're a-"

"Moving on please," Arianna said interrupting Dan. "Please continue."

**Natalie didn't like being ignored. She snatched up the remote and jabbed at the buttons. The channels on the wall-sized screen flashed from station to station.**

**_"More Weetabix —"_**

**_"Doctor!"_**

**_"Isabel Kabra —"_**

**_"Downton —"_**

**"Wait, go back," Ian cried. Natalie flipped back to BBC1, where their mother's face was spread across the massive screen. The Kabras leaned forward; Ian's heart rate ticked upward, as if he were being chased.**

**"Known to many as a fashionable fixture in the philanthropic and art scenes, Isabel**

**Kabra shocked the world when she was arrested last year for the murder of Americans Hope Cahill and Arthur Trent. Now we've received reports that Mrs. Kabra has been released from the custody of her American prison and will be serving out her parole by heading AidWorks Wonders, a charitable organization. The conditions of Mrs. Kabra's parole will limit her movements to Boston, the same region where she committed murder eight years ago."**

**Natalie turned the television off, and the Kabras sat quietly for a moment, letting the realization sink in: Their mother was out of jail. Ian went cold, and goose bumps popped ****up on his arms and neck.**

Everyone looked at Ian and Natalie in shock. The Cahills already knew that Isabel was out of jail. But they never knew when. They have always assumed that she was released a while before the Vesper problems.

"Your mother was released from jail that early?" Amy asked astonished. "And both of you didn't even bother telling us at that time."

"Sorry," Natalie replied. Her brother wasn't really in the mood of replying. He was still recovering from his embarrassment. "But, a lot of things happened. You'll understand later on in the story."

**Just six months ago, there was little Ian Kabra wouldn't do to gain an edge in the hunt for the 39 Clues: the quest for the secret that would make the finder the most powerful person in the world. The contest had taken the participants, which included Ian and Natalie and Amy and Dan Cahill, to the farthest corners of the globe and had nearly killed them all on multiple occasions.**

**Isabel had wanted that ultimate power, and she'd done despicable things in her effort to find the Clues and to win. She'd murdered Amy and Dan's parents; she'd shot Natalie, her own daughter, in the foot. She'd _shot _her. Ian knew his mother better than almost anyone else could, and even he had trouble believing it had actually happened. But the scar on Natalie's foot, and the way she curled it under herself as if to protect it, didn't lie.**

**Isabel had expected the Kabras to be the first to find the Clues. She had trained Ian and Natalie since birth to be the ruthless stars of the Cahill family. And at first, Ian had enjoyed it. The Clue hunt was the ultimate test of wits and daring, and there was little Kabras liked better than proving their superiority.**

"What a surprise," Dan said sarcastically.

**But the quest had been more heartless than even Ian had expected. With so much at stake, the competitors had started to see each other merely as obstacles, rather than real human beings. Ian and Natalie had been expected to do the same, and they'd seen a side of their mother that no one else in the world should ever have to. She'd almost turned them into killers. And while Ian wasn't necessarily a do-gooder or a saint, he knew that he wasn't a murderer.**

**It had taken them time — growing a conscience from scratch is hard going — but even Ian and Natalie could see that no prize was worth killing for. So they had, together with their other cousins, given their Clues to Amy and Dan Cahill. Amy and Dan were just kids themselves, but they were the only ones who could be trusted with such power. Those two Cahills didn't have ulterior motives; they didn't want to rule the world. Ian suspected they had only kept with the hunt to stop anyone else from winning and then using their power for evil. And to make their late grandmother proud, which was _so _Cahillish that Ian almost couldn't stand it.**

**Isabel had been furious with her children. She and their father had disowned them at the end of the hunt. It was a nasty business, all of it, and Ian found himself shivering at the memory. It wasn't normal to feel this way about one's mother. But he very much doubted that there were other mothers in the world like Isabel Kabra. **

"You're right Ian," Dan said, "your mother is one of a kind."

**"Sir," said Bickerduff, interrupting Ian's panicked thoughts. "Your luggage has been**

**sent to your room."**

**"Why?" asked Ian.**

** "For your trip to America, sir."**

**Of course. He would be going to America— to the same place where his mother would be, to the same place where Amy and Dan would be. Two Cahills and two Kabras in Boston. If Amy knew that Isabel was free, she might not want to see him. But why would it matter if Isabel were free or not? Ian was still the son of the woman who murdered Amy's parents. His stomach sank deep down inside of him. The Kabra charm was an impressive thing, but even Ian wasn't sure it could overcome a murder conviction.**

**"Bickerduff, I don't think I'm going to go."**

**"Of course, sir," said the butler.**

**Natalie stood up from her seat and folded her arms across her chest, almost as if she were hugging herself. "You don't suppose we'll get our allowance back?" she asked.**

"Is that all you care about?" Dan said in disbelief. "Your mother is out of prison and all you want is money? Typical Kabra."

**"Is that really what you're thinking?" he asked. **

"Jinx!" Dan said. "You owe me a soda Ian."

"You never even said the exact same thing," Ian told him. "Besides, I'm not going to play your childish games. You Americans are weird."

**Though, now that she mentioned it, he really wouldn't mind being put back into the Kabra good graces. Before the Clue hunt, Ian and Natalie had never wanted for anything, but now that they had proven to be such disappointments, they were quite impoverished. As co-winners of the Clue hunt, they'd been given a measly two million each, but he had a feeling that Natalie had been dipping into his share. Ian hadn't been raised as a Kabra for nothing, though. He'd had the family stockbroker's phone number memorized since childhood and he was parlaying two million into something far more respectable. Not that he was going to tell that to Natalie any time soon.**

"I see dear brother," she said. "Keeping secrets from me."

**"And what are you thinking of? How sad Amy Cahill is going to be?" asked Natalie.**

**Ian paused. She would be sad to see Isabel out of jail. And she'd need someone to help her — someone more mature than her brother or that babysitter, Nellie. She'd need _him _to help her. If Ian found himself in trouble, he'd certainly appreciate having someone as suave and confident as himself to be there in support. Bickerduff appeared in the door again.**

"She's not our babysitter!" Amy and Dan yelled at the same time.

"She's our au pair," Dan told him.

"Actually," Amy said. "Now she's our legal guardian. And she is mature."

"Sorry!" Ian said putting his hands up as if he was surrendering. "This was the past. I still don't think this way."

"Sure you don't," Dan said. "Once a Kabra, always a Kabra."

"Yo Amy," Jonah said. "I noticed you didn't comment on what Ian said about you needing him."

Amy's cheeks turned slightly pink. "I don't need him. My life has been perfect without him."

"Ouch," Ian said. "I can't believe you Amy. You really hurt my feelings."

"Just read Natalie," Arianna said.

**"Sir, your luggage has been returned to the box room."**

**"Why?" asked Ian. "I need to pack. I'm going to America soon! Fetch it, Bickerduff; we'll pack this evening."**

**"Very good, sir," said Bickerduff, turning and walking out again.**

**"You know she's not going to want to see you," said Natalie. "Our mother is the one ..."**

**"Don't say it," he said. But Natalie was right. His mother's release put a kink into his plans. Maybe Amy would think he was spying for his mother or in league with her — but it wouldn't be like that at all. Amy would know that, right? She knew what he had done — what he had given up — at the end of the Clue hunt.**

** "Someone should say it," said Natalie. She shifted in her chair. "It's what I'm really thinking of. Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like if she hadn't gone to jail. If she hadn't — hadn't set that fire."**

**"Natalie, stop. Stop that." They shouldn't talk about it. Talking about it made it real, highlighted the horridness of the whole thing. If they kept on as things were, they could just pretend that their parents were off chasing down some piece of art, or sailing along some string of tropical islands.**

**"No, I'm just saying that sometimes I wonder. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if she'd been the kind of mother who had taken me to ballet and who had cheered at polo matches and hadn't, maybe, been the kind that expected . . . so much. From people."**

**The Kabras fell quiet. Ian wouldn't admit that he felt the same, sometimes. Only sometimes. A lot of the time.**

** "Just sometimes I miss her. Sometimes, I wish she had been different."**

**"Then . . . ," said Ian. "But then you wouldn't be you."**

**"I don't like me all the time," said Natalie.**

**"I don't like me all the time, either," he said. A quietness settled over the Kabras. A ****Kabra not liking him or herself, not thinking that all the stars had aligned to bring them to the brink of greatness, was unheard of. But, Ian thought, it was true.**

"Who are you guys? And what have you done with the real Ian and Natalie Kabra?" Dan asked them.

"I wish I had my dart gun with me," she told him.

**"Bickerduff!" Ian called again.**

**"Yes, sir," said the butler.**

**"I'm not going," said Ian. "Cancel my flight."**

**"Very good, sir," said Bickerduff. The butler almost made it out of the room that**

**time.**

**"No, wait," said Ian. **

"Make up your mind already," Hamilton said. "I never knew you guys took forever to make decisions."

"Excuse me Hamilton," Ian said. "But Lucians think before acting, unlike Tomas who just do things before thinking."

"At least my branch doesn't have psychotic people," Hamilton said.

"Ian, don't bother arguing with a Holt," Natalie told her brother.

"Yeah, Ian," Dan said. "Listen to Natalie."

"Dan agreeing with Natalie?" Amy said surprised.

"Wait," Dan said. "I wasn't finished. Ian listen to Natalie or else both of you would be beaten up by my buddy Hamilton."

"Lucians are way better than Tomas," Natalie told him.

"Guys!" Amy yelled. "We're not going to go back to arguing about branches. We're all Madrigals now."

"Thank you Amy," Arianna said.

**He didn't know what to think, about his mother or Natalie or himself half the time, but he knew a few things, at least. Firstly, he wanted to go to Boston. And secondly, he was a Kabra, and Kabras got what they wanted. "Bickerduff, fetch my dinner jacket." If he was going to do this, he was going to do this right.**

"Okay Natalie," Arianna said. "You're done. Next up is Amy."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this! Remember review and constructive criticism is always welcomed! **

**Hopefully, I'll post the next chapter tomorrow!**


	4. Part 4

**A/N I know I said that I'd try to post on Thurday but I was busy with homework. Then I watched the new episode of House of Anubis. I'm wondering; have any of you guys heard of it? It's a mystery/teen drama show. Then after that I was busy on Friday and Saturday. So now, here's the next part!**

**Disclaimer-**

**Me: Do the disclaimer, Natalie.**

**Natalie: I don't appreciate that you're making fun of my brother with this story. Sure, he's strange for liking an American peasant, but he's still a Kabra.**

**Me: Sorry. Now, do the disclaimer.**

**Natalie: You don't sound sincere. You Americans never-**

**Me: Just say it already!**

**Natalie: THGFAN101 doesn't own the 39 Clues series or my brother.**

* * *

Amy couldn't describe how she was feeling.

It was very complicated. Part of her couldn't believe that after all this time Ian Kabra actually liked her. He really wasn't faking it. The other part of her was mad because of having to find out the truth in front of _everyone_. Things couldn't get any worse.

But she was wrong. Things would get much worse because of having to read her parts. She's going to feel like a fool when she reads the part about being excited for his visit. She also wasn't looking forward to ending. The part about Evan.

She was worried about what Ian would say when he found out. That it was his fault that Evan became her boyfriend. It was his fault that he made her very upset after he canceled the visit.

Amy felt guilty. Here she was relieved (and happy) that Ian liked her, when she had the perfect adorkable boyfriend. Evan did so much for her and now she's starting to think about a certain British boy…

_Stop it Amy_, she told herself. _Who cares about what Ian thinks when he finds out?_

The only good thing about all of this was that Amy would finally find out why he canceled his trip.

"Come on Amy," her brother said. "Read! This is the best story I ever read!"

Dan was such a dweeb. Sometimes, she wonders how she ended up with the most ninja-obsessed brother on the planet. They were complete opposites. Dan liked ninjas, pranking and making fun of people while she liked books and helping people.

"Relax Dan," she told her brother. "I'll read. If only you could read other books."

Amy took a deep breath and began to read.

**Amy Cahill was living in a madhouse.**

**Why had she never realized this before? The signs had been there — the running in the halls, the abundance of junk food, the crazy brother. But it was only at that moment, armed with a trash bag, that she realized just how far they had fallen. Anthropologists could come study her living room to learn about what the world would look like after the demise of modern civilization.**

"You just noticed you've been living with a crazy brother?" Natalie asked.

"Hey!" Dan said. "I'm not crazy! This is called ninja training."

"By eating junk food?" Ian said in disgust.

"Just because we don't eat your strange food, that doesn't mean snacks are bad," Dan replied. "Besides, junk food is better than your escartsnail."

"It's _Escargot_," Ian explained. "It's one of the best French appetizers. You Americans don't have good taste. "

"Guys stop!" Hamilton said. "We're hungry here! Don't talk about food!"

**"Dan!" she yelled. "Why are your dirty socks in a bag of chips?!"**

**"They aren't!" Dan hollered back, running into the room. He had a plastic lightsaber in one hand and a dustpan in the other.**

"Such a child," Natalie said. "Playing with lightsabers?"

**"Dan, I'm holding the proof in my hands right now," Amy said. She pulled the crumpled socks out of the chip bag, holding them between her forefinger and thumb. Boys were so gross.**

"Hey!" the boys yelled in unison.

"Love," Ian said. "You can't put all boys in the same category as your brother."

"Yes Amy," Dan said. "Listen to your boyfriend."

"Ian don't call me 'love'," she replied. She couldn't believe him. After being embarrassed in front of everyone he still has the courage to say that. "And Dan, I already have a boyfriend."

"Hey guys!" Dan announced. "I was reading Amy's diary the other day and she calls her Evan, adorkable!"

Amy ignored her crazy brother and the laughs and continued reading. She couldn't wait to get out of this madhouse.

**"That's not a bag of chips," Dan said, poking at the bag of Doritos with his lightsaber. "That's an _empty _bag of chips."**

**"It's still gross," she said. Just then, Atticus came running into the room. He held a mop and had a bath towel knotted around his neck. Amy was glad to have Atticus visiting — he was Dan's friend, and Dan needed all the friends he could get. He'd been so changed after the Clue hunt, like he didn't know what to do with himself anymore. Having Atticus around gave him someone to entertain, someone to be himself around. Plus, Atticus was a genius, which made him incredibly interesting to talk to.**

**Still, there was a line. She could be pleased that Dan had a friend. She could be equally displeased at dirty socks in bags of chips.**

**_"Calceum amissum dabo ultionem meam!" _****Atticus roared, coming at Dan with the mop.**

**"No way, dude!" yelled Dan, leaping backward and lifting his dustpan like a shield.**

**"_Dan_," said Amy, shaking her trash bag at him. "Are you going to help at all?"**

**"Why are you cleaning in the first place?" Dan asked.**

**"Because we have company coming," she said. "I'm throwing out this bottle rocket."**

**"No, wait!" Dan said, reaching for it. "It hasn't been set off yet. Don't waste it, Amy. And we don't have _company _coming — we have Ian Kabra coming. And I know you want to totally impress him and take him to the movies and stare dreamily into his eyes—"**

**"I do not," Amy said, too quickly.**

**"Oh, Ian," Dan said, pressing his lightsaber to his chest and batting his eyes. "Tell me again about your shiny, shiny shoes."**

**"You're such a dweeb," said Amy, pitching the empty bag of chips into the trash bag.**

**Something about the scene in her living room struck her as strange — and then she realized why: It felt normal. Entirely normal. Right then, she was just a big sister, yelling at her little brother because he was a mess. Was this how the rest of the girls at school spent their time? When Amy had signed herself and Dan up for the Clue hunt, she hadn't known how much her life would change. Before, she had just been a normal eighth grader with an annoying kid brother. But since the Clue hunt began, her life had been full of foreign countries and near-death experiences — being lost in the catacombs in**

**Paris, flying to the top of Mount Everest, surviving that final gauntlet.**

"Of course, this is normal," Natalie said. "Peasants fighting is perfectly normal."

**And now, at sixteen, she found herself wealthier than she knew any person in the world could be, and in possession of the key to the Cahill family's ultimate power. Her life was, to be blunt about it, insane.**

**Ian's visit was just another example of that insanity. He was rich and cultured and ...ridiculous in a charming, interesting way. He wasn't like any of the other boys at Amy's school.**

"It's nice to hear how you really think of me," Ian said to Amy amused. Amy blushed and refused to look at him.

"Compared to the guys in her school, you're an alien," Dan said. "All the other guys are normal and don't leave people trapped in a cave!"

"You're really never going to let this go? I told you, we were under the influence of our mother!" Ian yelled.

"Please don't bring up mum," Natalie said. "I can't stand to hear her name. Especially after we found out she was a Vesper."

"Amy please read," Arianna said annoyed. "You guys are really great at getting off topic."

**Like a magnet, the thought of school zapped Amy's thoughts toward one boy in particular. On the list of boys that Amy wanted to clean her living room for, Evan Tolliver was right at the top. The thought of him made her ears go hot, which probably meant they were bright pink, too. It was a strange thing, to be excited about one boy coming to visit while blushing over another.**

Amy felt herself blush. She looked at everyone else and they looked at her strangely. She felt like a fool, liking too guys at once.

"This is too much!" Dan yelled. "My sister is a crazy love sick girl!" Amy rolled her eyes.

**_"Ego regis spatium exterum cedo!"_**

**"Not if I have anything to say about it, dastardly fiend!"**

**"Don't jump onto the ceiling fan!" Amy yelled.**

"Monkey," Natalie muttered.

"I heard that! No one insults the ninja master!" Dan said.

**Honestly, what was the point of being the leader of the most powerful family in the world if you couldn't even get your little brother to behave like a human being?**

"Okay, now that we're done with the beginning, we're going to be reading the interesting parts," Arianna said before anyone could comment. "Dan you'll be reading next."

* * *

**Sorry that it's rushed! I have to go somewhere!**

**Like always review!**

**What was your favourite chapter so far?**


	5. Part 5

**A/N Thanks again for the reviews! Here's the next chapter. This story is almost coming to an end. I'd say that there's going to be three more chapters and then it's complete.**

**Disclaimer-**

**Me: Hey Jonah!**

**Jonah: Yo, what's up?**

**Me: Nothing much, just need you to do the disclaimer.**

**Jonah: Nothing else?**

**Me: Oh, and your autograph too.**

**Jonah: No problem. Here's your autograph and, THGFAN101 doesn't own the 39 Clues series.**

* * *

Dan Cahill was definitely enjoying himself.

It's not every day that he was able to make fun of Ian and Amy at the same time. Of course, this place would be so much better if Princess Cobra wasn't here. Unfortunately, no place is perfect.

"Hey Arianna," he asked the mysterious Lucian. "After we're done with this story, can we go back to our daily lives? This is very fun and all but I have a video game to beat."

"Not yet," she said, "you can't leave without Fiske's permission."

"We're is he?" Hamilton asked.

"He has a very important conference to attend," she replied.

"And when is she coming back?" Dan asked.

"Maybe next week."

"Next week?" they all cried in unison.

"I can't stay in here for a week!" Natalie shrieked. "I have an appointment with my manicurist."

"We don't care about your nails," he said. "But I have to agree with Nat, a week is too much. A lot of things could happen in a week. The world might need saving. So, you need to let us out of here."

"No one is after you guys," Arianna said. "Now please read."

Dan wasn't satisfied by her answer. He didn't believe that Fiske would make them bond by reading silly stories about Ian. He had a feeling that there being used for something else. This isn't about Cahills bonding; this has to do with something much bigger.

Since he won't be getting any answer out of the Lucian, he decided to go along with her little game.

**Dinnertime at the Kabra mansion had never been a particularly cozy affair. It was hard to have a family dinner when the table was as long as a swimming pool and the water glasses were made of real crystal. **

"Have you guys every heard the phrase, 'keep it simple'?" Dan asked the Kabras. "Seriously, why would a family of four need a table that long?"

"Because Daniel," Natalie said. "Mother and father always had important people visit us. Also, everyone knows that fancy things are crucial. You Americans don't have a good taste."

"You Brits are aliens from outer space," he said. He immediately continued reading before Natalie had the chance to comment.

**Still, the night before Ian flew to visit the Cahills was the stoniest he could remember. Natalie sat silent and icy. Every clink of her fork against the china reverberated through the room like a gong.**

**Ian couldn't take it anymore. Natalie had been fuming ever since Ian had told her he would be going to see Amy. "Natalie," he began, but she cut him off before he could get any further.**

**"I can't believe you're going," she snapped. "I honestly can't believe that you are going to Boston to see the Cahills and that you are leaving me here alone. What am I supposed to do if she . . . if she . . ." Natalie's face screwed up like she was trying to shove an awful thought into the back of her brain. "What if she comes here and it's just me? Didn't you think of that? Didn't you think of me at all?"**

"Wow Ian, you're the best older brother I ever seen," he said sarcastically.

"I'm a better brother then you," Ian said not able to stand Dan any longer. "You always give your sister a hard time."

"It's called having fun," he said. "Unlike you, I had friends and someone to spend time with. Your parents paid kids to be friends with you."

Just as Ian was about to speak Amy said, "Just ignore him. Dan, do you have to comment on everything?"

"I see the Cobra brainwashed him so you can on his side," Dan told her.

**Ian paused, and when he opened his mouth, he spoke slowly. "She can't . . . she can't leave America, Natalie. That would go against her parole. I've made sure. I checked."**

"Hey-" Dan began.

"Now what?" Amy asked annoyed. "You only read three sentences!"

"Didn't you notice Jonah has been quiet this whole time?"

Believe it or not, Dan was right. The international star hasn't said a word in a long time.

Everyone turned to look at him. They saw him writing something on his tablet.

"What are you doing Jonah?" he asked him.

"Oh, sup Dan," Jonah said looking up from his tablet. "I was just writing a new song in the notes section."

"Jonah," Arianna said. "Can you please listen to the story?"

"I _am_ listening. You see the Wiz can multitask," Jonah replied.

Arianna sighed, "You may continue Dan."

**"Oh, right, because she's clearly so good at obeying the law," said Natalie. She pushed her plate away. "If you go, and if she comes here, I'll never forgive you." She stood up and stomped out of the dining room, slamming the door hard enough to make the ****Waterford chandeliers rattle on its chain.**

"Good job Nat! Show your brother whose boss!" Dan exclaimed. He offered Natalie a high five.

"Natalie. How much times do I have to say it?" she said. "And besides, I will not do your little high five thing. I'm a sophisticated person. I don't associate with peasants."

Dan shrugged, "Have it your way."

**Ian looked down at his plate. The filet with béarnaise sauce and fingerling potatoes had been prepared by a classically trained chef, and yet it tasted like sawdust to him. He felt a creeping, distasteful thing sneak up on him — sympathy. Those wretched Cahills. They'd changed him over the course of the Clue hunt, and now their unwanted effect lingered. Having a conscience was such a nuisance.**

"Congratulation Ian," Dan said. "You finally became a human." Ian simply rolled his eyes.

**He'd have to make up with Natalie before he left. He didn't blame her at all for being nervous about Isabel leaving prison. He was nervous, too, and he wasn't even the one their mother had shot.**

**Ian picked his napkin out of his lap and followed Natalie out of the dining room.**

**"Natalie?" he called down the hall. But she wasn't there. And she wasn't in the gallery or in the theater or in the kitchen or the library. She wasn't in the conservatory or the study or her bedroom.**

**He was on his way to the parlor, passing the door to the secret wing of the mansion —the Lucian wing — when he heard the sound of shattering glass. "Natalie?" he said, putting a hand on the door. The knob was cool, and it twisted easily when he turned it. He stood there for a moment, looking at the knob. He couldn't imagine that Natalie would go in there. They'd had an unspoken agreement to avoid it since the Clue hunt ended — avoid looking at it, talking about it. **

**But _someone _was in there. So Ian opened the door.**

**As soon as the door opened, a flood of lights streamed on one by one down the short hall as the chandeliers lit up. The floor was paneled in ebony wood, and the walls were lined with paintings of Lucians doing amazing things — being crowned, winning battles, ruling the world. It smelled of close air and dust; not even the servants had been inside. Ian felt as if he were trespassing, breaking the rules, even though that was ridiculous. This was his house, and with his father hiding in South America and his mother trapped in North America, there was no one present to scold or forbid him.**

**Slowly, he made his way down the hall. "Natalie?" he called again. But there was no answer.**

**At the end of the short hall was another door. He opened that one, to another hall. It had never occurred to him before how strange a setup this was. It was as if the wing were designed to be difficult to transverse —a series of rooms to be passed through, one by one, to reach an end destination, rather than one long corridor with doors along either side. Down at the end of the second hall, someone turned to look at him.**

**Someone tall, and someone who was not Natalie. The figure was all in black, from boots to mask. He couldn't tell for sure, but he was certain that the intruder smiled at him.**

_It's so obvious, _Dan thought to himself. _I can't believe Ian didn't notice who it was._

**"Oi! Stop!" he yelled, taking off down the hall. The lights began to flicker, and the chandelier closest to his end of the hallway gave a shudder and then crashed to the ground, landing a few feet from Ian. Glass and metal shattered over the wood floors, spraying Ian with shards and splinters. If he had been any slower, he'd be buried under that mess, tangled in it like a grotesque knot in a skein of thread.**

"Too bad you weren't buried," he said.

"Dan!" Amy scolded.

"Kidding!"

**He half jumped, half skidded over the shattered chandelier and picked his way down the rest of the hall. But with a great groan, the second chandelier fell. Ian jumped out of the way, and continued his run down the hall, dodging the third and fourth chandeliers as their chains gave way and they slammed down to the floor.**

**Ian looked up at the last broken chain. A cable ran from the chain, along the ceiling, to the previous chandelier, and so on, until the cable reached the door. Something had triggered it; something had caused it to crash— the door opening. Someone had rigged the chandeliers to fall.**

**His spirit sagged down to his knees, dragging what felt like his lungs and all of his digestive organs with it. One of his parents had done that. Mother or Father, one of them — both of them — would rather have Natalie or himself be crushed by half a ton of glass and metal than have them make it through the wing and into the Lucian stronghold.**

"Your parents are horrible. How did you live with them?" Dan asked the Cobras.

"You don't know how it was like, living up to their expectations," Ian replied.

**But there wasn't time to dwell on it. There was someone in the house, in _this_ wing, and they needed to be caught.**

**Ian shook glass from his hair. The intruder had disappeared by the time he made it past the chandeliers. He barged through the next door.**

**It was the room made entirely of mirrors. Ian thought that Isabel had had it built because she liked to look at herself. Now he knew better.**

**A single lamp hung from the center of the mirrored room. And then, there was movement. The figure in black was there, though he couldn't tell where. He jumped at the reflection to his left, spun around to the one on his right. It was dark and the shadows tricked him; Ian could feel his heart pounding in his chest and his breath coming in quick bursts.**

**The intruder's image was cast all around him, but Ian couldn't tell which was the real person and which ones were reflections. The intruder was scrambling at one of the mirrors, clawing at the side of it as if trying to find a latch.**

"Wow," Amy said. "I never knew you had a rough night. Why didn't you just say so?"

"It wasn't just that," Ian said not quite looking at her. As the Cahills progressed through the story, Ian hasn't been like himself. He had been unusually calm and wasn't controlling his emotions like usual.

Dan understood what was going on. Just like he expected, the intruder was someone everyone knew very well. Someone Ian couldn't defeat. Amy was going to have a rude awakening once she finds out.

**"Who are you?" he demanded. The figure in black spun around to look at Ian, and Ian finally thought he knew which way to go. He saw something that sparkled dangling from the intruder's hand — a piece of jewelry? Glass? But then the intruder grabbed a thick bar from his trouser leg — a pipe or a crowbar, Ian couldn't tell. He hesitated and stepped back, thinking he was about to be clubbed. But the intruder raised the bar and smashed the mirror. On the other side was a window that faced the garden. That was quickly smashed as well, and the intruder clambered outside.**

**Ian ran over, reaching out to try and grab a leg, an arm, something. They were on the top floor, and the intruder had already scampered up onto the roof.**

"Stop Dan," Arianna said.

"Oh, come on! We were just getting to the good part!" he exclaimed.

"I know, but we need to let other people read," she told him. "We should let Jonah read now because he wasn't paying attention."

* * *

**To those of you who haven't read the ebook yet, you're going to find out who the intruder is. I'm pretty sure you can guess who it is based on the clues. :)**

**Anyways, next chapter will be posted soon!**


	6. Part 6

**A/N I know you guys probably hate me for the cliff-hanger, so I decided to update sooner than I planned (I was planning to update over the weekend). :)**

**Disclaimer-**

**Me: So, what do you think of the story so far?**

**Amy: I can't believe you'd do something like that! ****This story is very inaccurate. **

**Me: Well, I am a Cahill, and a BIG fan of Amian.**

**Amy: You guys have a couple name now? For the millionth time, I don't like Ian!**

**Me: Sure you do, just like the fact that ****_I_**** don't like the 39 Clues.**

**Amy: …**

**Me: You know what you're supposed to say…**

**Amy: *sighs* THGFAN101 doesn't own the 39 Clues series.**

* * *

Jonah Wizard couldn't believe the lack of respect Arianna gave him.

He wasn't used to being forced to something by someone (other than his mom). Usually girls (especially major fans) would encourage him to make a new song. They definitely wouldn't be forcing him to read something he didn't want to read. Much less capture him by injecting poison.

Then again, she was Lucian after all. Lucians tend to be evil and do ruthless things.

He didn't really care about the story. Though, he felt bad for Amy. It must be tough for her to deal with this all at once.

He looked around at the others. Hamilton looked bored and wanted to do something active. Amy and Ian still haven't recovered from the embarrassment. However, Ian seemed more disappointed than depressed. Jonah could tell that he wasn't mad about his secret being exposed.

_Something bigger must have happened_, he thought, _something that scarred him_.

Natalie looked amused but at the same time frustrated. It's obvious that she wanted to get out of here. The only one who seemed to be enjoying this hospitality was Dan.

The Cahill boy was very fond of making fun of Ian and his sister so this story was a great opportunity for him.

All Jonah wanted to do is go back home. He was planning on staying at the Cahill's mansion until the end of the week. He had a concert to do and he wanted to spend time with his cousin Phoenix.

His poor cousin was taken hostage by the Vespers. Jonah wanted to spend a lot of time with him so he would forget the terrible things he faced.

Jonah cleared his thoughts. They weren't going to go anywhere until they were done with the stories, might as well go along with it. He then began to read from where Dan left of.

**There was no time to consider the three story fall from the roof, or the fact that the intruder was apparently armed with at least a crowbar or that Ian was supposed to be on a plane to America in a few hours. Ian grasped the window frame, put a foot on the ledge, and hoisted himself outside. **

"This is why it's good to know some ninja moves," Dan said to Ian.

"Sure Daniel," Ian responded. "As if I could use ninja moves on the roof of our mansion. Not to mention it was very cold."

"It's not that hard," Dan said.

"The roof of our mansion is much bigger than yours," Ian told him.

"Yo Dan," Jonah said. "Not trying to be mean to you cuz, but do you have to bring up ninjas?"

"Of course!" Dan said surprised that he asked that question. "Ninja skills are imperative to a person's success in the Cahill world."

"Wow," Natalie said sarcastically. "I never knew you were capable of using a big word."

"I'll just continue reading," he said.

**The night was cold for April, and it was much windier high up than it would have been on the ground. Ian's heart climbed rapidly to his throat when he realized what he was doing, but there wasn't any other way. By the time he found Bickerduff and had the police summoned, the intruder would be gone.**

**And if there was anything more important than catching them, it was knowing who they were. Anyone who was brave or foolish or desperate enough to break into the Lucian stronghold needed to be stopped. **

**Shifting his weight, Ian swung around and grabbed the gutter above him. It was slimy with rain, leaves, and grime, and the first realization that he could slip and fall hit him. But he bent his knees anyway, firmed up his grip, and jumped.**

**With a grunt, he swung one leg up above the gutter. He forced his weight into his stomach, pressing hard against the slick tiles. The figure in black was still trying to climb up the steeply pitched roof, and now that he heard Ian heaving himself upward, he scrambled all the harder.**

**He dug his fingers into the tiles, pulling his other leg up, and then he let himself have**

**a moment to remember that he was still alive. But there was only time for a moment, and he was digging the toes of his Prada shoes into the roof to brace himself, to push higher and harder.**

**The wind whipped his hair into his eyes as he flung an arm out as far as he could to try and grab the intruder's trouser leg. He brushed the fabric with his fingers, but the person in black kicked at him. Ian took it in the shoulder, and he lost his grip. The movement caused the intruder to lose balance as well, and they both began to slide.**

**The tiles were too slippery to stop him; his sweater caught but it just tore beneath him. He tried to grab at something, but his hands couldn't grasp anything at all. His toes hit the gutter, which jolted under the impact. The intruder landed beside him. Ian tried to grab a black-garbed arm, but the gutter groaned again, and snapped.**

"You told me that you went on a stroll!" Natalie said to Ian in disbelief. "You lied to me?"

"You guys are Lucians," Dan said. "Isn't that common?"

"Stay out of this Cahill," Natalie said sternly. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Ian looked up from his tablet and said, "I didn't want to overwhelm you."

"Seriously brother? That's the best excuse you got? Also, why didn't you mention the whole intruder thing? I know who it is! You put our lives in danger!" Natalie yelled. Jonah was surprised. He never thought he'd ever see Natalie Kabra look scared.

"Yo," Jonah said. "Can you tell me who this intruder is?"

"You mean you can't tell?" Dan asked surprised. "It's so obvious."

"Well, I do have a hunch…"

"Just read on," Ian said sounding miserable.

**They continued to fall. Ian grasped the gutter like a climbing rope, his clothes scraping down the side of the stone façade. He would have kept swinging — likely until the gutter broke completely free of the roof —but there was a tree growing close to the house and he got tangled up in the branches. The intruder skidded across the wall in the same way, but ended up near a downspout. He jumped over to it like a squirrel and began to skitter down to the gardens.**

**Ian kicked at the tree, trying to find a branch thick enough to stand on. He'd chased him that far — he'd not let him just get away now. He let go of the gutter with one hand and grabbed at a mess of sticks and leaves, hoping they would hold him as he pulled himself as quickly as possible into the tree.**

**Branches whipped at him as he scrambled down — he was going to look an awful mess whenever he caught up to this intruder.**

"Someone broke into your house and that's what you care the most about?" Dan asked.

"Just give it a rest Dan," Amy said her voice pleading.

**There was movement beneath him, and Ian jumped, rolling into the person in black. They both toppled over, but both were soon back up on hands and knees. Ian lunged, grabbed a foot, and pulled. The person in black went down flat on his stomach. Ian snatched at the mask and ripped it off. And then he flung himself backward.**

**Isabel smiled at him and pushed her hair back from her face.**

* * *

Ian felt extremely sick.

No one even bothered trying to hide their expressions. They all looked at Ian in shock, disbelief, and most of all in betrayal.

Ian suddenly felt like how he was during the Vespers problem. A problem. An outcast. No matter what he did, he never seemed to do the right thing.

Natalie's expression had hurt him the most. Natalie, who has been trained to mask her emotions (just like him) wasn't able to at this moment. He could see the hurt in her eyes. She was shaking and she looked like she was about to cry. Sometimes, Ian would forget that Natalie was his younger sister. That she relied on him to protect and help her.

Ian tried to protect her but it wasn't a good idea. All this time he kept this a secret and she _finally_ found out.

He didn't know if Natalie would ever forgive him.

Another problem was Amy. Amy's expression hurt him just as a much as Natalie's did.

Suddenly, memories from the Vesper crisis appeared in his mind. He remembered how he felt when Amy accused him of being Vesper Three, the mole. As if he would be capable to being the mole.

But now, he finally understood why Amy thought that. Ian was no better than his mother. He lied and always did mysterious things.

He remembered how he felt betrayed and angry that Amy would accuse him. He now knows how betrayal felt.

He felt guilty for all the things he did to Amy. First Korea, then disappearing to South America, and now this. If only he was honest the first time. None of these problems would have occurred.

Things would only get worse once they all found out what Ian did.

Jonah recovered from the shock first and continued reading.

**Ian felt as if he had been doused in ice water. His mother was there. There, in front of him. Isabel picked herself up from the ground and smoothed her black clothes with her hands. He shivered; his skin prickled up and down his back, and the first twinges of a headache crept over his brain.**

**Both sets of amber eyes flickered to the garden gate. It was old, made of damp, weathered wood and great iron bolts. The wall around the garden was a good ten feet high. There would be one way out. One little door stood between Isabel and freedom. He shot to his feet, and he and his mother raced to the gate.**

**Ian beat her there, barely. He pressed his back against the wood and covered the latch with a hand.**

**"Step away from the door, Ian," said Isabel. She leveled her gaze at him, and Ian thought he might drop dead on the spot. It pierced him like a poisoned dart, like he would never stop bleeding.**

**"What are you doing here?" he asked. "You're supposed to be in America."**

**"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to, darling. Though I'm sure we'll be seeing each other soon," said Isabel. "Now, stand away from the door, Ian. I won't ask again."**

**He knew that he shouldn't. He knew that he should find some way to restrain her; he should get the police; he should send her back to jail. He should do that much for Amy and Dan, for himself and Natalie.**

**She looked at him in a way that made his throat close and his eyes water. Ian Kabra did not _cry_, but he thought in that minute he might. She was steel and he was paper and she tore right through him.**

**But if he stopped her, she'd go back to prison. There would be no more parole, no more Isabel loose in Boston.**

**Amy would be so happy. She'd be so proud.**

**He'd never have to worry that Isabel would show up again.**

**She'd never show up again. For a birthday, a polo match . . . anything.**

**Perhaps his conscience was too new; he hadn't used it enough yet to know how to use it properly. Perhaps he just wasn't good at doing the right thing.**

**Ian stepped away from the door.**

**Isabel smiled again, and swept past him. "Thank you, darling."**

**She opened the door, stepped through, and shut it behind her.**

"I can't believe you let her go," Hamilton said.

"Yeah dude," Jonah said.

"That was low," Dan said. "Even for someone like you."

Ian wasn't paying attention all his thoughts were focused on was Natalie and Amy. He messed up plenty of times when it came to Amy, but this time he messed up big time.

Then there was Natalie, she looked like she was about to cry. He instantly felt bad and wanted to comfort her. Unfortunately, he couldn't. Amy was already comforting her and he didn't want to deal with Amy just yet.

First, he needed Natalie to forgive him. Natalie was sister and his only relative he had left. If Natalie couldn't trust him, then how could anyone else?

* * *

**Two more chapters to go! This chapter took a while for me to think about. I hope the characters aren't OOC.**

**Anyways, like always review and/or constructive criticism! **

**Next chapter will be posted soon!**


	7. Part 7

**A/N Alright guys, here's the second to last chapter! Thanks again for all the reviews/favourites/following! I really appreciate them! :)**

**Disclaimer-**

**Me: You know what to do.**

**Hamilton: THGFAN101 doesn't own the 39 Clues series.**

* * *

Hamilton Holt felt bad for Ian Kabra –and that's a first.

He felt guilty. They were all treating Ian like he was some monster. If they were in his position, they would've done the exact same thing. It's not Ian's fault. His mother can be very intimidating.

Hamilton looked around at the others. Arianna decided to let everyone have a break. There was tension in the air.

Natalie sat in the corner of the room, closing her eyes. It looked like she was trying to stay calm. Amy and Dan were discussing quietly while Jonah continued writing his new song. Ian looked the most devastated. He was sitting alone with his hands on his face.

Ian was feeling the worst out of all of them. It was a bad enough that he to read aloud his worst experience in front of everyone. What made it worse was that his sister wasn't taking it well.

Hamilton decided that he should do something to help Ian. After all, it wasn't fair for Ian to be dealing with all of this. Sure, he could be mean at times, but he's kind and soft compared to his mother.

"Ian," he said sitting in the chair next to him. Ian looked up, his face expressionless.

"Don't worry," he continued. He hesitated not sure what to say that would comfort a Lucian. "It's not your fault. We would've done the same thing if we were in your position."

"There's no point in trying to act nice," Ian snapped. _Here comes the old Ian, _Hamilton thought.

"It's my fault," Ian continued. "I could've stopped her. I know her better than all of you. I should've tried something instead of letting her get away." Ian's voice was getting louder and louder.

"Sorry," Hamilton said putting his hands in defeat. "I was just trying to say-"

"Don't be sorry," Ian interrupted his voice getting a little gentler. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"You should talk to Natalie," Hamilton suggested. "I'm sure she'll understand."

Just as Ian was about to get up Arianna came back on the screen.

"Alright," she said. "Break time is over. Hamilton, you're reading next."

_This isn't going to be good, _he thought. Even though Hamilton didn't know the whole story, he could tell that this part won't be helping Ian.

As soon as everyone came back to their seats (except Natalie), Hamilton began to read.

**Shame swept over Ian like a tidal wave. He stared at the garden door, and it was hard to breathe. The realization of what he had done smacked him in the face and it was cold, like a block of ice. He jerked the door open and stumbled out into the street.**

**But there was no one there. Isabel had gotten away.**

**No. He'd let her go.**

**Ian looked back at the house. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel worthy of living there. He didn't deserve it.**

**Ian Kabra would never cry. But he did sit down on the ground, something else he thought he would never do, and put his face in his hands for just a moment. Somehow, he remembered to breathe. It was funny, how you could keep breathing when you just made the biggest mistake of your life.**

**In the mansion, he found Natalie in the library.**

**"What on _earth _happened to you?" she gasped. "Your trousers!"**

**"I went into the . . . the Lucian wing." **

**Natalie's head jerked backward like he'd just told her he'd be wearing flannel and denim from now on. "Why?" she asked.**

**"I thought I heard someone in there."**

**"Did you?" she asked, gripping the arm of the chair she sat in. Natalie could be a nuisance; she could be tiresome and petulant. But she looked so small and scared, like an actual little sister, that he couldn't bring himself to let her know that her nightmares were coming true.**

**"No," he said. "It was nothing."**

**"Then why do you look like that?" Natalie asked.**

**Ian looked down at his clothes. He was covered with tiny bits of glass dust. The toes of his polished leather shoes had been reduced to unintentional suede. His sweater was gashed through across his stomach, and his polo shirt was stained an ugly greenish brown.**

**"I took a walk in the gardens," he said.**

**"All of that happened from a walk in the gardens?"**

**"You know I'm not the outdoorsy type. Good night."**

**He left the library and wandered to his room.**

**He could never tell Amy, and he couldn't go to America. It would be too much to bear, a secret too heavy for the airplane to lift across the ocean.**

**And the more he thought about it, the angrier he grew with himself. Making the right choice — the good choice — should have been so easy. He could see that now. All it would have meant was saying no to Isabel.**

**_Stand aside_****, she would have said. And Ian would have said no.**

**_I'm not asking again_****, she would have said. And Ian would have said no.**

**But he hadn't said anything at all. And, worst of all, his mother hadn't even expected him to. Isabel had known how weak he would be.**

**How could feelings be this complicated? He liked Amy; she was so simply good. So smart, and so sweet, and so pretty, for someone with such a limited wardrobe. But, strangely enough, he loved his mother.**

**Amy wouldn't like him anymore after this. What would she think if she knew? That he was a Kabra through and through, just like they'd all always thought. That no good could come of him. But what right did she have to think ill of him? She didn't know how hard it was to have a mother like Isabel. She didn't know the pressure, the pain, the constant expectations.**

**She didn't have any idea of what it was like to be a Kabra. She and that brother of hers just stumbled in and out of life's biggest challenges, making it out alive because of a bit of luck and the kindness of others — like himself.**

**He doubted that she could so much as say her own name without stuttering, or tie her shoes without being racked with uncertainty. It was pathetic, and just another example of how far removed from his world she was, monetary wealth or no. **

**And he knew that none of that was true, at all.**

**He grabbed for the phone. It was a miserable thing, to be responsible for breaking your own heart.**

Nobody said anything as Hamilton finished. It was highly unusual, especially since Dan usually comments on every little thing.

_Everyone else feels bad for Ian, _Hamilton thought.

Arianna broke the silence, "This was the strangest session ever. Dan didn't even comment. Oh well, one last part until this story is over-"

"Then we can eat right?" Dan asked hopefully.

"Yes, of course," she replied. "And what better way to end off the story then have Ian read the ending?"

* * *

Ian Kabra knew that he had to get Natalie to forgive him.

He decided to get this over with before reading the last part of the story. He wasn't ready for the rudeness that would come up in the next part.

"Excuse me, Arianna," he said to the Lucian.

"Yes Ian?" she asked.

"Can we take a break? I can't read at the moment," he replied.

"Fine," she said. "The only reason why I'm agreeing to this is because I need to get some food."

"What about our food?" Dan complained. "I'm starving!"

"You're always starving dweeb," Amy told her brother.

"Later," Arianna said. "See ya later!" Arianna disappeared from the screen.

_The easy part was done, _Ian thought. _Now it's time for the hard part._

Talking to Natalie was like talking to a brick wall. If Natalie wasn't in the mood to speak then she'd simply ignore the person. Ian hoped that for once, Natalie will be easy to talk with.

He got up from his seat and sat on the ground next to Natalie.

"Natalie?" he said. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Yes dear brother?" she said sounding like herself. Her makeup was smudged from crying.

Ian hesitated, "Look, I know you'd probably not want to hear this but, I'm sorry."

Natalie simply stared at him. Her amber eyes were hard. Her face showed no expression Ian felt very uncomfortable, as if he was being searched. He finally knew how his enemies felt whenever he was interrogating them.

"Alright," she said. "I could tell that you aren't lying. Still, I'm not happy with the fact that you didn't bother to tell your own sister."

"Didn't you listen to the story?" Ian asked. "I didn't want to worry you."

"I don't need protection, Ian," Natalie said. "I'm fully capable of taking care of myself. From now on, you tell me everything or else."

"Agreed," he replied.

_She's starting to become like her mother,_ he thought. Very intimidating. Ian shuddered from that thought.

No matter how alike Natalie and Isabel were. She would never become like her mother.

* * *

**Sorry about this chapter! I didn't have the characters commenting on the parts from the ebook. I had to get Natalie forgive Ian again. This chapter was mostly focusing on the characters. **

**Anyways, I'll be posting the last chapter soon. **


	8. Part 8

**A/N Here's the last chapter of this story! I'm so sad that this story is coming to an end. I had a lot of fun writing this story. Thank you to all the people who read this story and reviewed! Your reviews kept me motivated to continue this story! :) **

**Disclaimer-**

**Me: Come on out little Vespey**

**Vesper 1: What is the meaning of this? I refuse to be called "Vespey"**

**Me: Well, what do you want to be called?**

**Vesper 1: My identity will be kept a secret. No one can know.**

**Me: Okay then, the guessing game: are you AJT?**

**Vesper 1: No, of course not.**

**Me: Are you Dave Speminer?**

**Vesper 1: No!**

**Me: Are you sure?**

**Vesper 1: That's it, I'm outta of here! **

**Me: Not so fast-**

**Vesper 1: This CRAZY Cahill doesn't own the 39 Clues series and never will!**

* * *

_**"Never play with the feeling of others because you may win the game. But you will surely lose the person for a life time."**_

* * *

"It's good to see Princess Cobra up again," Dan said as Ian and Natalie sat in their seats. "Please don't cry again, your makeup is all messed up. You look like a zombie, no wonder you wear makeup!"

"Ha ha, Daniel," she said. "Let's get this story done with. I can't wait to get out of here."

Ian smiled. It was good to see Natalie back to her usual self. He couldn't stand Natalie being mad at him.

"Hey Ian," Hamilton said. "We all have something to tell you. Dan can say it."

"Why me?" Dan complained.

"Because you have to," Hamilton replied. "You're the best person for the job."

_I'm not looking forward to this_, Ian thought to himself. _Anything involving the Cahill boy can lead to a disaster._

"Okay fine. We've all been talking and we decided that it was unfair of us to judge you because of your horrible mother," Dan said, "even though you're a strange person yourself. But, next time you should tell us if Mother Cobra decides to break into your house. We could help you."

"Okay," Ian said. "Don't worry you could always trust a Lucian."

"Did Ian Kabra make a joke?" Dan asked in disbelief. Ian was about to answer when Dan continued, "Start reading! There's a very hungry ninja here. Also, you're going to love this part…"

"What do you mean I'll like the next part?" Ian asked. He had a feeling that he won't like it.

"Hey Ian," Arianna said coming back on screen. She had a cookie dough ice cream with her. "Please read."

Ian nodded then looked at Amy. He noticed that she hadn't said anything yet. _Is she still mad about before? _

Then it hit him. This part that he was about to read will be the worst part. It'll be worse than the mirror scene.

Ian sighed. Things we're going to become much harder.

**Amy was having a great afternoon. She'd made up the bed in the guest room and painted her nails, and now that all of her tasks for the day were done, she found that she couldn't sit still. She perched on the couch, but then wandered to the kitchen, and then outside, and then back to the living room. It was as if a tiny motor had kicked on behind her stomach and it was powering little wheels that ran all over her arms and legs, gears turning and turning and making energy that needed to be used.**

**She wondered if this was what it felt like to be Dan.**

"Must be horrible that you're acting like Daniel," Natalie said. Dan stuck her tongue out at her.

"So childish…" she responded.

**Back in the kitchen, Nellie was whipping up a batch of macaroons while jamming out to her iPod. Sometimes, Amy thought Nellie forgot that there were other people around.**

**Every now and then she'd stop in her stirring to use the spoon as a guitar, and she'd wail out a few licks.**

**Dan wandered in and took a good look at Nellie. The buzz from her music could be heard across the kitchen. "Nellie," he said, "Atticus and I are going to eat Doritos and Pixy Stix for dinner. Cool with you?" He shot her a thumbs-up.**

**_"And you used my heart as a Kleenex," _****Nellie sang. ****_"But you're the one full of snot!"_**

"Ew," Natalie said in disgust. "_Snot?_ Honestly, your nanny has no taste in music."

"She's our aupair," Dan told her. "Not everyone likes British boy bands like you."

"They're music is better than American music," she said.

"Yeah, sure. Like One Direction and the Wanted is better than punk or rock music."

"What's wrong with One Direction and the Wanted?" Natalie challenged.

"Well, One Direction uses this line, 'to prove I'm write, I put in a song'," Dan said in a British accent. "Who would say that in a song?"

"You-"

"Guys, we're not talking about bands here," Arianna interrupted.

"Yeah, homies," Jonah said. "You guys should start listening to rap music."

"Ian please read," Arianna said.

**"Awesome," Dan said, pulling out a bag of chips — only for Nellie to smack him in the chest with a carrot.**

**Amy's cell phone buzzed in her back pocket and she answered it quickly.**

**"Hello," she said.**

**"Amy." It was Ian. Amy grinned, biting her lip when her stomach flopped over. He really did have a great accent.**

_Oh no_, Ian thought. This was the part he was dreading the most. _Why did they have to get this part?_

**_It's Ian, _****Amy mouthed to Nellie. Nellie, still dancing, gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up.**

**"****_OooOOoooh_****," said Dan, squeezing his carrot tight.**

**Nellie grabbed for Amy's hand and tried to dance with her while she was on the phone. It was so silly, but Amy couldn't help but to give in. She held the phone with one hand, letting Nellie spin her around with the other. "All — all set to come over and visit?**

**I've Dan-proofed the whole place."**

**"Dan-proofed. Is that supposed to be clever?"**

He cringed at his own words. At the time he didn't really think it was harsh. But now, it was a completely different story. He instantly felt guilty.

**Amy stopped dancing, and she let go of Nellie's hand. Nellie took her earbuds out and gave her a funny look, but Amy blushed and looked away.**

**"Ian, is everything, uh, okay?" she asked.**

**"Of course," he said quickly. "I've decided to stay in London. Everything is perfect."**

**Amy's stomach dropped. "You're staying— you're . . . you're not coming anymore?" Dread crept over her like a swarm of beetles. She was acutely aware of Nellie and Dan watching her from the other side of the kitchen.**

**"Is that disappointment I hear, Amy Cahill? How very quaint. I'd no idea you were so attached to the idea of playing house."**

**"Wh-why are you saying —"**

**"What is that? I can't understand you."**

**"Ian, I — c-can you come some other time? Maybe?"**

**As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she hated herself for it. Ian was being a jerk, and she still wanted him to come? How pathetic could she get?**

_She's right_, he thought guilty. _I was being a jerk. And probably am the biggest jerk she ever seen_.

**Ian paused, and Amy bit her lip. Why would he change his mind the day before he left?**

**"No," he said, finally. Amy's face fell. Her shoulders slumped in and she turned away from Dan and Nellie.**

**"Oh," said Amy. She didn't want to sound disappointed. She didn't want him to know how sad she was. But Amy really wasn't a very good liar. "Well, okay. But, Ian, if something is wrong —"**

** "Why would I tell ****_you _****if something were wrong?" he snapped. She felt the sting from an ocean away. "What makes you think that you know anything about me at all, Amy? What makes you think I would tell you anything?"**

**This was not what she had been practicing since she found out he was coming.**

**She'd even learned to make tea the real way, not by heating up some water in the microwave and dropping in a tea bag and then forgetting about it.**

**"I'm going to hang up now," she said quietly.**

**"Fine."**

**"Good-bye, Ian," she said.**

**He paused again. She thought she heard something like a sniff or a choke, but it was probably the sound of him tearing up his plane ticket. "Good-bye, Amy."**

**She hung up the phone. Dan and Nellie were quiet.**

He felt horrible. He broke her heart so many times. He didn't deserve her.

He looked up sheepishly and saw everyone's astonished faces. Dan and Natalie weren't surprised because they already knew about this. Amy on the other hand hadn't looked up from her tablet.

He wanted to apologize to her so badly, right in front of everyone. But, he didn't have the courage to at the moment. For the first time in his life, he felt nervous. Even if he did have the courage he wouldn't know what to say. He'd probably say something that would make her feel even worse.

"Bravo Ian," Dan said sarcastically. "You're great when talking to girls."

Ian ignored him. He'll talk to Amy later, after they were done with this horrible story.

**"Well, think about it," said Dan. "Did you really want Natalie Kabra as a sister-inlaw?"**

Natalie punched Dan.

"Ow," Dan yelled. "What was that for?"

**"Okay, take the Doritos and go," said Nellie, taking her carrot back and throwing the bag of chips at him. Dan caught the bag, looked between Nellie and his sister, and decided that any other place in the world was better than that kitchen. "What did he say?"**

**Nellie asked.**

**"He can't come," said Amy. "He didn't say why. He wouldn't say why." She shouldn't have been so upset. She shouldn't have felt like someone had jabbed a pin into her feelings and deflated them all over the kitchen floor.**

**Nellie plopped into a kitchen chair and shook her head. "That stinks," she said. Amy shrugged. "I mean, it stinks whenever someone cancels on you, but it's even worse when you like the guy."**

**"I don't like him," Amy said immediately, folding her arms across her chest. "I just did so much work to get ready for him to come over from London and now I'm just upset that, you know, the house is clean for no good reason."**

**"Oh, Amy," said Nellie. "You don't like him. And my favorite band ****_isn't _****Single Cell Paramecium. You can trust me, kiddo. That's what I'm here for."**

**"I just don't get it," said Amy, sitting down beside Nellie. She put her phone on the table and stared at it. "I mean, did I do something? Am I . . . unvisitable?" Something prickled at her eyes. "He just turned so mean on the phone. It's like between a few days ago and today he just decided that I'm something worthless. Like he can't even stand to talk to me." She wiped the back of her palm across her cheek. "It's stupid. I feel stupid. I feel stupid for wanting him to come, and for being so . . . excited, and I feel stupid for crying."**

**"It's not stupid," said Nellie, handing Amy a napkin. "Your feelings are never stupid."**

**Amy pushed the napkin against her eyes. "What did I do wrong?"**

**"Oh, Amy, nothing. Look, there's a lot of truth to the statement 'It's his loss.' I mean, ****Amy Cahill, you are awesome. After all that you've been through, after how smart and capable and utterly exceptional you have proven yourself to be, anyone should feel privileged to know you. I know that I do."**

_I like you Amy, a lot, _he thought. _It was an honor to know you. If only I could make it up to you. For all the trouble I caused you._

**Amy shrugged. She didn't feel exceptional or capable. She felt gullible, as if this whole thing had just been a joke to him — as if she were a joke. Amy reached for a new napkin and wiped at a fresh round of tears. "I just don't know what happened."**

**"Amy, if he can't see how awesome you are, then — I don't care how rich he is — he can't even buy a clue. And I'm not just saying that. As someone who is, like, alive because ****of your awesomeness, I mean, I speak with authority here. I am the law."**

**Nellie may have been right — but it still felt awful.**

**Amy hiccupped and scratched her nail along the top of the kitchen table. "The Kabras are ****_poor _****now, Nellie," she said, adding a small smile.**

**Nellie threw back her head and laughed. "Poor. Gosh, those kids are going to have such a rude awakening one of these days. Look, Amy, would you ever let someone treat me that way? Or treat Dan that way?"**

**"No."**

**"Then don't let anyone treat you that way, either. No more tears now? Good — you kill me when you do that. Amy, let me be old and wise for a minute. There are boys who will make you cry, and then there are boys who are worth spending your fabulous energy on. What about that boy from class? Ethan or something?"**

**"Evan," Amy said automatically.**

**"Ah," said Nellie, grinning. "I knew you'd know who I meant. Forget Ian Kabra and his shiny hair and polo shirts. Think of you, Amy. Do you want to give someone like Evan a call?"**

**"Call?" said Amy, her mouth dropping open a little bit. Call a boy? And say what? Calling boys was something that only superheroes could do, or something.**

**"Yes, call. Ring. Telephone. Buzz." Nellie stood up and slid the cell phone over toward Amy. "Think about it." And then she left.**

**Amy watched her go. It was a thought. But could she, Amy Cahill, really call a boy?**

**Could Amy Cahill brave an underground catacomb full of bones? Could Amy Cahill survive a cave-in? Could Amy Cahill fly to the top of Mount Everest in a helicopter so light that a sneeze could knock it over?**

**Actually, Amy thought, yes, she could. So, obviously, she could call a boy.**

**Amy went to her room for some privacy and scrolled through her phone. Evan had given his number to her when they had worked on a science project together. She sat on the edge of her bed, her stomach flipping back and forth like an antsy pancake as she pushed the numbers.**

**And then it was ringing.**

**"Hello?"**

**"Hi," she said. "Evan? Hi, it's Amy Cahill." She paused, and smiled. "You're glad I called? So am I."**

"The End," Dan said. "Finally! I hope your happy Ian. It's your entire fault that my sister got a boyfriend who's the biggest geek on the planet. Can we eat now?"

Ian was shocked. He couldn't believe what he read. He was the reason for why Amy and Evan are together? His rudeness to Amy made her go out with that American?

How could Amy Cahill choose the computer geek over the handsome and brilliant Kabra?

He suddenly felt very angry. If only he hadn't acted the way he did. He would have had Amy all to himself. Of course, he had to mess up every chance he got.

"Earth to Ian," Dan said. Ian snapped out of his thoughts and unclenched his hands. He noticed the table was covered with food.

"Time to eat, heartbreaker," Dan said grabbing a hotdog.

Ian didn't feel like eating. It wasn't because there wasn't any good food that would satisfy his taste. It was because of what he did to Amy.

He saw Amy sitting in the back of the room. She was on the floor reading something on her tablet.

Everyone else were too busy eating and in their conversation.

_It's now or never. _

"Amy," he said walking towards her.

* * *

Amy Cahill felt horrible.

It was two years since Ian Kabra broke her heart, but she was still suffering. As Ian read the last part, she saw herself two years ago. She was relieving the experience.

What Ian said still hurt her. It looks like she still wasn't over her fellow English cousin.

Amy doubted that he cared about what he said to her two years ago. She knew that he liked her in the past. But he was definitely over her now.

She hoped so. If he liked her then things would be even more confusing.

Amy already had a boyfriend, someone who never broke her heart, someone who she could trust, and someone who helped her during the Vesper crisis. She shouldn't like Ian anymore. She shouldn't have been happy when she heard that he liked her.

She was very surprised when he came towards her and sat on the floor next to her.

"Hello Amy," he said in the British accent that always made her heart skip a beat.

"Yes Ian?" she asked. _Stay calm._

"I know, you'd probably not want to hear this…" he said his voice trailing. He seemed to be hesitating.

_Wow. The great Ian Kabra, lost with words? _Amy thought. _That's a first…_

"What I'm trying to say," Ian continued. "Is that I'm sorry for everything I did, especially for what I recently did."

Amy stayed silent. She didn't know what to say. She did forgive him. He sounded very sincere and she was positive that he wasn't faking. What would he gain if he was lying to her?

"As you know from before," he continued. "I like you, a lot." Amy felt herself blush. "And, I know you have Evan. As much as I don't like him, I won't do anything about him. You made your choice. I lost, and it's my fault."

"A Kabra apologizing?" she asked grinning.

"Yes," Ian said. "And you should know how hard that is."

"Yeah I know…"

"I know that it's going to be hard for you to forgive me," he said. "Especially, after everything I've done for you. I'm hoping that we could put the past behind us and just be friends."

Amy's spirits lifted.

That's all she ever wanted to hear from Ian. That he was sorry. She knew that everyone made mistakes, even perfect Ian Kabra. She wasn't going to stay mad at him forever.

Besides, all these years he was under the influence of his mother. Amy felt bad for Ian. All this time he never had a normal life. He spent most of his life doing missions and carrying out his mother's evil schemes.

Amy was ready to move on and forget about the past. What Ian has done is done. There's nothing he can do to change it. As long as he doesn't repeat the same mistakes again, she would forgive him.

Also, being friends was perfect for Amy. That way, they'd be able to get along and know each other better. They wouldn't be enemies anymore.

She was relieved that he didn't mention anything about her liking him. She was still confused about her feelings toward Ian. She wasn't ready for that yet.

"I forgive you," she said at last. Ian looked relieved.

"Really?"

"Yes. After all," she said smiling at him, "you're my friend."

* * *

**_"It's very easy to defeat someone, but it's very hard to win someone."_**

* * *

**~*~La Fin~*~**

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**This is the end of the story! I wanted to have Amy and Ian end up together but, I can't get Evan out of the picture that easily. I tried to make it as realistic as possible. The good thing is, now that Amy and Ian are friends there's a high chance of them ending up together.**

**Thank you to all my amazing readers! Your comments made me so happy and the constructive criticism was really helpful. **

**Now that I'm done with this story, which eBook should I have them read next? **

***I'll be writing one of these stories as soon as possible. **


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